A method and an arrangement for controlling a vehicle are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,776. Here, a control of the entire vehicle or at least with respect to the drive train and brakes is suggested. This control has a hierarchial task structure for the control tasks.
The control structure described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,776 includes coordination elements which convert a command from a higher hierarchial level into commands for elements of a lower hierarchial level. The contents of the commands, which are transmitted from above to below in the hierarchial structure, define physical variables which determine the interfaces between the individual hierarchial levels. The described interfaces orientate themselves to the physical conditions of the movement of the vehicle and especially of the drive train and the brake.
A vehicle control which goes beyond the foregoing is not described, such as giving consideration to the chassis electronics (for example, the generator control, sun-roof drive, window lifters, et cetera). Systems in vehicle technology, which were previously independent, are becoming increasingly interconnected. For this reason, viewing only the drive train and the brakes is no longer adequate. Instead, it is necessary to provide a control structure of the entire vehicle with which also systems, which lie outside of the drive train and brake controls, can be coupled and their tasks coordinated.